Dan Morgan has made no secret about what the Carolina Panthers' most pressing priority is heading into his third offseason at the helm. The general manager wasn't satisfied with the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and he plans to be aggressive in seeking better solutions.
The Panthers are in a better position to be bold this spring. They clinched the NFC South, won eight games, and pushed the Los Angeles Rams to the brink before falling to an agonizing wild-card round defeat. Morgan believes this team is ready to win right now, and no stone will be left unturned to find the pieces needed to get them close to an elusive first franchise Super Bowl.
And one Pittsburgh Steelers writer may have quietly unlocked the opportunity for Morgan to make his boldest move yet.
Carolina Panthers should keep tabs on T.J. Watt's status after Mike Tomlin's Steelers exit
Mike Tomlin's decision to step down as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons wasn't entirely surprising. However, it still came as a deep shock to everyone in the building, considering the esteem in which he is held.
Details of the meeting with players indicated edge rusher T.J. Watt took it harder than most. This led Shayne Kubas from Still Curtain to wonder whether it might be worth exploring trade offers as the team embarks on an expected period of transition.
"It should be no surprise that [T.J.] Watt reacted the way he did to [Mike] Tomlin's speech. He was the one who helped him go from being a late first-round pick in 2017 to being one of the NFL's most productive and feared defenders. The question now, on both his mind and many fans' minds, is what he wants to do now that the only coach he has ever known is no longer around. Watt is clearly no longer the dominant player he once was, and his contract is one that the Steelers may be better off without now that they are entering a new era."Shayne Kubas, Still Curtain
Watt was expected to be a lifer in Pittsburgh, but things change quickly in the NFL. He's dealt with some injury problems, and the former Wisconsin standout with 115 career sacks isn't getting any younger. Still, he remains one of the game's most dominant pass-rushing forces when fit and firing on all cylinders.
Adding him to the Panthers' edge room would be an instant upgrade on anything they have currently. His knowledge could also be passed on to the duo of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, which is an added benefit that shouldn't be overlooked. It's an intriguing possibility — one that would raise expectations about Carolina's chances in the blink of an eye.
There are stumbling blocks. Morgan values draft picks highly. Giving up the capital that Pittsburgh would likely demand for Watt might not be in his thought process. There is also the small matter of taking on his contract, which has three years and $130 million left on it.
It's on the ambitious side, but with high risk comes high reward. And after laying the foundations over the last two years, there is room for Morgan to make one massive splash this offseason to shake the NFL to its foundations.
Watch this space...